A Dropbox file request is a link that lets anyone upload files into a folder you own, without a Dropbox account of their own and without seeing anything already in that folder. It is available on every Dropbox plan, including the free one.
How to create a file request in Dropbox
- 01Open Dropbox on the web and go to the File requests section in the left sidebar.
- 02Click "New request" and give the request a title — this is what senders see at the top of the upload page, so make it describe what you want.
- 03Choose the folder uploads should land in, or let Dropbox create one named after the request.
- 04Optionally set a deadline, after which the request stops accepting files.
- 05Copy the link, or have Dropbox email it directly to the people you are collecting from.
What the person sending files sees
They get a page with the request title, an "Add files" button, and fields for their name and email so you know who sent what. They never see the destination folder, its existing contents, or anyone else's submissions. Nothing is installed and no account is created — this is the part Dropbox got right, and it is why the feature is worth using at all. It is also the only Dropbox link type that accepts uploads from someone without an account, which is a common source of confusion on the sending end: why a shared folder link will not do it.
Dropbox file request limits worth knowing
- Uploaded files count against your own Dropbox storage quota, exactly as if you had uploaded them yourself. A file request does not come with its own allowance.
- The size a sender can upload is bounded by the space left in your account, so a nearly full Dropbox quietly starts rejecting uploads.
- Files arrive in your Dropbox. If your working files live in Google Drive, every submission needs a manual download-and-reupload to get where it is actually used.
- A deadline is the only automatic cleanup. There is no per-request cap on the number of files or on file types.
- Senders cannot be restricted to a specific email domain, so a link that leaks is open to whoever holds it until you disable it.
What Dropbox file requests do well
Two things, and they matter: the sender experience is genuinely frictionless, and the feature is on the free plan rather than gated behind a business tier the way Box gates its equivalent. If you already store your working files in Dropbox and you are collecting from a handful of people, there is no reason to use anything else. This page is not going to argue otherwise.
Where they stop fitting
The problem is never the feature — it is the destination. If your documents, client folders, and shared drives live in Google Workspace, a Dropbox file request means every incoming file lands in the wrong system. You download it, re-upload it to Drive, and either delete the Dropbox copy or accept two copies drifting apart. Doing that once is fine. Doing it for every client delivery, every week, is a workflow tax you pay forever, and it also means paying for Dropbox storage purely as an inbox.
The Google Drive alternative
Drive File Request does the same job with the destination changed: you sign in with your Google account, create a link, and every upload lands in a folder inside your own Drive. Senders still need no account and still see only an upload page.
| Dropbox file request | Drive File RequestNative | |
|---|---|---|
| Files land in | Your Dropbox | Your Google Drive |
| Sender needs an account | No | No |
| Senders see the folder's contents | No | No |
| Password-protected link | Paid plans | Yes |
| Restrict senders by email or domain | No | Yes |
| Custom questions before upload | Name and email only | Yes |
| Subfolder per submission | No | Yes |
| Expiry date | Deadline | Yes |
Moving a file request workflow to Google Drive
- 01Create a link per client or project rather than one shared inbox — the same discipline that makes Dropbox requests manageable applies here.
- 02Set the file size limit to cover your largest realistic delivery, not the average one.
- 03Add the fields you actually need answered. Name and email is the Dropbox default; if you need a project code or a dropdown, ask for it up front instead of chasing it afterwards.
- 04Set an expiry matched to the project, so the link closes itself when the work ends.
- 05Leave the old Dropbox request open for a couple of weeks and forward stragglers, rather than breaking a link you already sent to clients.
The step-by-step version for Drive specifically, including the shared-folder and Google Forms workarounds, is in how to create a file request link for Google Drive. If you are comparing more than one platform, there are equivalent write-ups for OneDrive and Box, and a side-by-side of all four. For the category as a whole, see file request software, and for the password and allowed-sender controls Dropbox requests do not have, secure file upload portal.
A Dropbox file request alternative for Google Drive
If the feature suits you but the destination does not, what you want is a Dropbox file request alternative that writes into Google Drive rather than a second storage account. Drive File Request is that: an upload link that asks the sender for no account, keeps your folder invisible to them, and adds the password, allowed-sender list, expiry, and custom questions Dropbox requests do not have — for $10 a month flat, with the files counting against the Drive storage you already pay for.